Chaelbs barlow



(1330 Model.) G. BART-OW...

Flre Escape Patented March 8,1881.

ATTORNEYS.

Uivrrnn STATES Fa'rnwir @rnics.

CHARLES BARLOW, 0F OOOKSHIRE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

FIRE=ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,552, dated March 8,1881.

Application filed August 14, 1880. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLES-BARLOW, of Oookshire, in the Province ofQuebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and ImprovedFire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices by means of which aperson can safely escape from a burning building and control therapidity of his descent.

The iiwention consists of a cylinder provided with a piston filled withcompressed gas, water, or other liquid, and having a wire coiled aroundits screw-threaded surface, inclosed, sliding, and revolving in anothercylinder that is designed to be attached to the belt of the operator;and it consists, further, of an arrangement of valves and theirconnections, so that the operator may control the movement of the innercylinder, and thereby the speed of the unwinding of the coiled wire andthe rapidity of his descent.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, on a reduced scale,fastened to the belt of a person descending from an elevation. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsectional elevation of the same on line :0 m, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an endelevation of the device. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line y y, Fig. 3.Fig. 6 is a side elevation, showing the manner of securing thefire-escape to the fioor of a room and suspending it from a window. Fig.7 is a front elevation of a portion of the suspending devices on line 22, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of another portion of thesuspending devices on line to 10, Fig. 6.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents the inner cylinder, with screw-thread a,covering its outer surface, said cylinder A being inclosed in an outercylinder, B, of the fire-escape device A.

U is a piston, fitting tightly in cylinder A, and fixed on a hollow rod,0, that passes out through the stuffing-box b and gland c on the closedand inner end of said cylinder A, and through the closed head of theouter cylinder, B, into the stuffing-hox d, Where the said pistonrod 0is held fast by a screw-nut, d, having a left-hand screw-thread. In thesaid hollow piston-rod 0, just above the upper face of the piston O,-isa lateral orifice, f, the purpose of which will be hereinafter setforth.

A hollow valve, D, that is provided with a lateral orifice, g,corresponding with the orificef of the hollow piston-rod O, is snuglytitted in the lower end of said piston rod 0, and is held adjustably inplace by the rod D, that is screwed into its upper end and is extendedup through the said piston-rod C. Said valve-rod D, having fixed on itsupper end a head-block, D, that fills the orifice of the said piston-rodO and said Valve-rod D and its attachments, is prevented from turning bythe stop-pin k, that enters through the side of the piston-rod G intothe keyway h of the head-block D. This inner cylinder, A, has itsopposite end tightly closed by a screwcap, E, through the outer centralboss on which is a transverse opening, k, whose purpose is hereinafterset forth. The said cylin der A is designed to be filled with water orother liquid, or with compressed air or gas, to afford suitableresistance to the movement of the piston O. G is a wire wound around andfilling the screw-thread a.

The outer cylinder, B, is open at the end,in which the cylinder A movesin and out,and is smooth on theinside, to facilitate the movement ofsaid cylinderA. Around and upon this open end of the cylinder B a ring,F, is screwed, provided with a tangential hole, m, through which thefree end of the wire G is passed outward from the cylinder A, and saidring F is also provided with a boss, a, through which a loop, F, issecured. On the opposite end of the cylinder B a screw-cap, H, providedwith a pointer, 0, is screwed on the stuffing-box d, and a screw, I,passes down through the center of said screw-cap Hand is screwed intothe head-block D of the valverod D. Around this end of the cylinder Bare a series of lines and figures, L, to indicate the points to whichthe pointer 0 is to be turned to move the valve D sufficiently to adaptthe device to the safe letting down of persons or objects of givenweights, and the word Closed at the end of the series L indicates thatthe valve D is closed when the pointer 0 rests over said word.

A further portion of the device consists of a stout double strap, M,having a snap-hook, N, in one end-in which snap-hook Nthe swivelloop 0on the free end of the wire G is engagedand a link, P,'in the other end,in the lower end of which a screw-hook, Q, is pivoted. This screw-hook Qis designed for securing the device to the floor of a room, as indicatedin Figs. 6 and S; or the hook thereof may be engaged upon a rod, beam,window-sill, orother convenient place.

The operation of the device is as follows: One end of the wire G is madefast around the stuffing-box I), and the said wire G is then woundtightly around the cylinder A in the screw-threads a, filling saidscrew-threads a nearly to the end of the cylinder A. The cylinder A isthen forced into the cylinder 13 for nearly or quite its whole length,and the free end of the wire G is passed through the hole at in the ringF, as shown, and made fast to swivel-loop O, as shown. The piston G atthis time will be at the outer end of the cylinder A, and some suitableresisting medium, (indicated at 1%,) such as water, air, or gas, willfill the said cylinder A above the said piston G, and the valve D willbe turned so that its lateral orifice or port 9 will be below theorifice or port f in the piston-rod C. The operator S will then fastenthe device, by means of the loop F, to his belt T, and secure the freeend of the wire G, by means of the swivel-loop O and strap M and itsattachments, to the tloor, window-sill, or other convenient place in thebuilding. Then, lowering himself from the window of the building andholding the device in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, he willturn the screw-cap H in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, till thepointer 0 points to whichever of the figures, 75, 150, 200, may indicatehis weight. This turning of the screw-cap H up against the shoulder ofthe screw I will pull the valve D up so that the orifices or ports fgwill open into each other to a greater or lesser degree, depending uponthe distance through which the pointer 0 is moved. The greater thedistance moved by the said pointer 0 the more fully do the ports fg openinto each other. \Vhen the portsfg are closed at the beginning thecylinder A is immovable, because it cannot be drawn out against thepressure of the liquid or gas R within it; but as soon as any connectionis made between the port f of the piston-rod O and the port 9 of thevalve D a portion of the liquid or gas R will escape through saidopenings or ports fg into the hollow valve D, and thence into the outerend of the said cylinder A on the other side of the piston 0, therebyrelieving the pressure on top of said piston C in such a degree that thestrain on the wire G, caused by the operator S, will gradually draw orturn said cylinderA out of the cylinder B and uncoil said wire G asrapidly as may be desired. An operator, S, of light weight, will turnthe screw-cap H so as to fully open the ports f 9 into each other andpermit thereby a free escape of the medium E from above to below thepiston C, while an operator of heavy weight will move the screwcap H butlittle to cause the medium E to be forced with sufficient rapidity fromone to the other side of the piston C, to permit said operator todescend as quickly as desired.

After use this device A can be putin working order again by simplyinserting a rod in the o i)ening k of the screw-cap E, and therebyturning the cylinderA, with the wire G around it, again into thecylinder B, and then closing the portsfgby proper movement of thescrewcap H.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tire-escape constructed substantially as herein shown anddescribed, containing the following elements: a screw-threadedwireenveloped inner cylinder, A, filled with water, compressed air, orother resisting medium, It, inclosing-cylinder B, provided with ring F,having tangential opening m, wire G, piston 0, provided with hollowvalved rod 0, hollow valve D, provided with adjusting-rod D, adjustingscrew-cap H, and screw I, arranged and operated as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the screw-threaded innercylinder, A, and outer cylinder, B, provided with ring F, havingtangential hole in, of the wire G, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

3. In a fire-escape, the piston 0, having hollow rod 0, with lateralorifice f and hollow end valve, D, with lateral orifice g, in combination with the movable cylinder A and fixed cylinder 13, as and forthe purpose described.

4.. The double strap M, having snap-hook N, the swivel-loop O on thefree end of wire G, the link I, and the pivoted screw-hook Q, combinedin a fireescape, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a tire-escape, the combination, with the moving cylinder A,provided with screwcap E, fixed cylinder B, piston G, provided withhollow valved rod 0, screw-nut d, and valve D, of the valve-rod D,provided with head-block D, having keyway h, stop-pin h, screw-cap H,and screw I, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the valve D, valve-rod D,head-block D, and screw I, of the screw-cap H, provided with pointer 0,substantially as herein shown and described.

CHARLES BARLOW.

Witnesses:

WM. W. BAILEY, ALDEN LEARNED.

IIO

